Semisubmerged or small water plane area twin hull ships, sometimes referred to as SWATH ships, have been developed for high-speed operation at high sea states. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,623,444 and 3,897,744 issued to Thomas G. Lang, disclosed ships of this configuration which have better operational characteristics than conventional ships and can operate at much higher sea states.
The above-noted patents point out a number of configurations for such vessels. One of these configurations include a rear stabilizer and a forward canard for counterbalancing the sinkage and trim forces exerted by the vessel itself. Because these control surfaces must counterbalance these forces, their utility in controlling the ship's motion and steerage is greatly reduced, or substantially larger control surfaces must be utilized. Larger control surfaces require additional machinery and degrade the overall performance of the ship.